Takedown Report

Wrestling History – # 24

TDR Editor’s Notes ; This collection of articles starts with a list of native american wrestlers at Oklahoma State. The induction of New Hall of Famers (#9), the passing of two Hall of Famers (#2) & (#10), a Podcast with an Olympic Champion (#8) and a wrestler’s greatest loss (#4) are included with the collection. This history involves O.D.U.’s first champion (#5), an All-Decade team at Colorado Mesa (#6) and more of the long and storied history of Central Oklahoma wrestling teams (#3, & #7).
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1 } – A Look at Native Americans to Have Wrestled at Oklahoma State
A rundown of some of the accomplishments of various tribal members that wrestled at Oklahoma State
November is National Native American Heritage Month and naturally, with all the Oklahoma ties to Native American history, there are a number of prominent native Oklahoma State wrestlers. Your favorite Oklahoma State beat writer happens to be a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and I thought I’d take a look at and share with you all some of that history and background on native OSU wrestlers.
Cliff Keen (Comanche Nation)
Keen wrestled under Ed Gallagher and also played football during his time at Oklahoma State. He was a Missouri Valley Champion and in 1924 he won the Olympic trials but was unable to compete due to a broken rib. He went on to a successful coaching career at Michigan that spanned 45 years. His name is probably best known today due to his wrestling gear and equipment brand. Cliff Keen Athletic is one of the most well known wrestling brands in existence. Keen was born near Cheyenne, Oklahoma and is a member of the Comanche Nation. … rest of story at _{https://pistolsfiringblog.com/a-look-at-native-americans-to-have-wrestled-at-oklahoma-state/?mc_cid=b6ed949da8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – Indiana Wrestling Mourns The Loss of James Lee Moore
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– James Lee Moore, 94, was born in Bloomington, attended Bloomington High School South and wrestled at Indiana University. The Indiana wrestling family sends its condolences to the family on his passing on October 12, 2020. In 1987 Jim was inducted into the Indiana Wrestling Hall of Fame. Moore was born on November 4, 1925 to Russell and Frances (May) Moore. Jim and his twin brother Hank were both Indiana State Champions.  
Before he finished his high school senior year he was drafted into the Navy, where he was stationed in Fallon, Nevada. After proudly serving in the Navy he passed his GED and enrolled at IU, where he earned a varsity letter in 1947. Later in life, Moore started his own business; The Circle M Ranch riding stable and dance barn. He trained and broke horses, gave trail rides, private riding lessons and lessons to earn horseback merit badges to the boy and girl scouts.  
Jim was an avid photographer and for a few years he was hired by Don Luft to take photos of the IU basketball games and other local events for the Bloomington Convention Center. He was a board member of the Local Hoosier Hills Festival. Jim served as Polk Township Trustee for 20 years. … rest of story at _{https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2020/10/15/indiana-wrestling-mourns-the-loss-of-james-lee-moore.aspx?mc_cid=1a1915e009&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – Friday Feature: An Historic First
Friday Features Are Brought To You By UCO ROTC
EDMOND – There were some in the collegiate wrestling world who doubted Central Oklahoma would be the overwhelming force in NCAA Division II that it was in the NAIA ranks when the Bronchos made the move up prior to the 1989-90 season. But UCO – which captured eight national titles in its last 11 years in the NAIA – quickly established itself as a power to be reckoned with, finishing runner-up in its first two Division II national tournaments. And that set the stage for the 1991-92 campaign, when the Bronchos were poised to prove just how dominate they could be. Four All-Americans (Wayne Cole, Todd Drake, Howard Moore and Randy Zellner), two national qualifiers (Fay Barnett and Chance Skidgel) and another starter (Keith Cunningham) returned from the year before. “With the people we’ve got coming back, I think we have to be considered one of the contenders,” 10^th-year head coach David James said in the 1991-92 UCO media guide season outlook. “A lot of how we do will be determined by what the kids did in the summer. Did they sit around and get lazy or did they do something to make themselves better?”
The results answered that question. Central went 14-1 in duals, with only a controversial loss to Oklahoma marring the record, … rest of story at _{https://bronchosports.com/news/2020/10/16/wrestling-friday-feature-an-historic-first.aspx?mc_cid=ef4f862d31&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

4 } – Bryce Meredith: My Greatest Loss
Bryce Meredith was a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA finalist for Wyoming, placing second in 2016, fourth in 2017 and second in 2018. His finals losses were to Dean Heil (2016) of Oklahoma State and Yianni Diakomihalis (2018) of Cornell.  Meredith’s career began at North Carolina State, where he was the starter at 133 pounds as a true freshman. A native of Cheyenne, Wyoming, he transferred to the University of Wyoming the following season and competed at 141 pounds the remainder of his career.  Meredith went 1-2 at the 2015 ACC Championships, beating Pittsburgh’s Nick Zanetta 6-2 before losing 15-3 against Virginia’s George DiCamillo. Only three wrestlers from the ACC at 133 earned automatic qualifying berths to the NCAA Championships. Thus, Meredith’s 6-4 consolation semifinal loss to Virginia Tech’s Kevin Norstrem turned out to be the final match of his freshman season and his career with the Wolfpack. 
The following are Meredith’s words on his loss to Norstrem. 
WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, BRO?
“I lost (in the consolation semifinals of the ACC Championships) my freshman year. I (didn’t place) my freshman year at ACC’s and I didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament and then the next year I get second place (at the NCAA tournament). That’s a big discrepancy. I don’t know how many people have had the large of a discrepancy in one year of wrestling. … rest of story at _{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1603336864830&twSessionId=yuyfkhmzkn&postId=870811135&mc_cid=1b88391836&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

5 } – He felt cursed by fate, but it didn’t stop Old Dominion’s first wrestling champion
One wrestling mat lay in the middle of a gymnasium at California Polytechnic State University, an island surrounded by an ocean of raucous spectators. Carl Ragland had met this moment many times before in high school and college, but always had to peer over as his opponent’s hand was raised as winner. “Carl, this guy’s tough,” Old Dominion wrestling coach Pete Robinson told him of defending national champion John Finch of Cal Poly. “Yeah, I know, coach,” Ragland replied before stepping onto the mat for the NCAA College Division 152-pound national championship. Second place was not an option on March 15, 1969.
A freshman at Maury High, Ragland was in gym class when wrestling grabbed hold of his life. … rest of story at _{https://www.pilotonline.com/sports/vp-sp-carl-ragland-odu-wrestling-20201103-wj7u6w5z3fcmzlm7vh7bfsuo7e-story.html?mc_cid=1abb33fe3e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

6 } – Colorado Mesa’s Wrestling All-Decade Team
We continue our trip down the all-decade team path as we enter the month of November and the beginning of winter sports. The men’s wrestling team is next up and deciding to pick a true ‘team’ was rather difficult, we decided to pick the top ten wrestlers of the decade. During the 2010s, the program saw its first NCAA National Champion, a program best seven NCAA national qualifiers in 2015, and at least one all-American in nine straight seasons which is a RMAC best amongst schools currently in the conference.  
Our first honoree on the all-decade team was an all-American during the magical 2015 season, 174 pounder Randy Boerner. The Thornton, Colo. native finished his career with a 65-23 record, winning nearly 74 percent of his matches, and finished eighth at the national tournament in 2015.  
Jason Buhr wrestled for the Mavericks from 2014-19 and is the only recipient on the list to not have won an all-American award but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have some incredible accomplishments along the way. The La Jara, Colo. native posted 111 wins in his time, third most since the program was reinstated, and went to three NCAA Championship tournaments.  
Our next recipient wrestled for the Mavericks from 2010-14, Dylan Granard. Granard is one of just three multi-time all-Americans on the all-decade team having picked up the honor in 2012 and 2014 while qualifying for the NCAA Championships three times. He won 99 matches in his career which is fourth all-time since the program was brought back in 2006. Marcus Haughian spent one season with Colorado Mesa after transferring from Grand Canyon University … rest of story at _{https://cmumavericks.com/news/2020/11/5/mens-wrestling-all-decade-team.aspx?mc_cid=b6ed949da8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

7 } – Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Kyle Evans
Wrestling is most assuredly one of the hardest sports there is. Taxing on the body and mind alike, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. It was too much for Kyle Evans, who tried it as a third grader and decided it wasn’t for him. But, when his family move from the Kansas City area to Edmond two years later, Evans decided to give the sport another try — thanks to a few well-placed posters. “We were looking at houses before we moved down here and I saw some wrestling team posters in a bunch of the kids’ rooms,” Evans said. “It seemed like wrestling was a big deal down here and I figured it must be a pretty popular. I thought it would be a good way to make friends, so I decided to give it another try.”
Good decision.
A slow progression throughout junior high and high school led to a scholarship at Central Oklahoma, where Kyle blossomed into one of school’s all-time bests. And now the four-time All-American and two-time national champion is headed to the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020. Evans was a three-time state placer at Edmond North High School, finishing fourth as a sophomore and third as a junior before nabbing a state championship in his final season while earning All-State honors. Good, but not great, so moving on to the college ranks wasn’t a given. “I wasn’t sure I even wanted to wrestle in college, but Coach (Ricky) Bollenbach, my high school coach, made a video and sent it out to a bunch of Division II schools,” Evans said. “The only ones I heard back from were UCO and Fort Hays State. … rest of story at _{https://bronchosports.com/news/2020/10/22/wrestling-hall-of-fame-class-of-2020-kyle-evans.aspx?mc_cid=6032bfb245&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

8 } – #177 Joe “Gonzo” Gonzales – Olympian and NCAA Champion
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Joe Gonzales was a 1984 Olympian, former NCAA champion and just the seventh American to win the prestigious Tbilisi Tournament.  Joe wrestled for Cal State Bakersfield under the great Joe Seay. Though Cal-State Bakersfield was a Division Two school, they had two NCAA Division One champions in 1980: Joe and John Azvedo.  Joe also had a win over Anatoly Beloglazov, an Olympic champion for the Soviet Union. After competing, Joe coached at Arizona State with Bobby Douglas. The Sun Devils won the 1988 NCAA’s, becoming the first non-Midwestern school to win an NCAA team title. Today Joe resides near Los Angeles. Please enjoy! … rest of story at _{https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/gonzales/?mc_cid=799fb85b6c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

9} – Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa Announces Class of 2021
WATERLOO, Iowa – Sixteen NCAA All-Americans, a state championship high school coach and a pair of record-setting NCAA champion wrestling teams will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on June 25, 2021. Located inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, the Glen Brand Hall of Fame was established in 2002 to honor native-born Iowans and those who wrestled or coached for an Iowa school who have made an impact on wrestling on a national level or who have done extraordinary work in Iowa. The Class of 2021 is Gary Steffensmeier, Mike DeAnna, Megan Black, Dwight Hinson, David Kjeldgaard, and the 1991 and 1992 University of Iowa national champion wrestling teams. The Happel Family will be presented with the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award while Tom Hogan will receive the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award and Bill Tate Sr. will be presented with the Russ Smith Community Impact Award. A banquet honoring the Class of 2021 will be held at the Prairie Links Golf Club in Waverly, Iowa, on June 25, 2021.  … rest of story at _{https://nwhof.org/blog/glen-brand-wrestling-hall-of-fame-of-iowa-announces-class-of-2021/?mc_cid=799fb85b6c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

10 } – Montana wrestling icon Bob Zadick passes away
Montana wrestling patriarch Robert (Bob) Zadick passed away Saturday at the age of 80. Bob was born in Great Falls and graduated from Great Falls High in 1958 where he excelled as an athlete in both football and wrestling. Zadick was successful as an entrepreneur and businessman but he was best-known state- and nation-wide for his passion for the sport of wrestling. His sons, Bill and Mike Zadick, each saw considerable success on the wrestling mats. Both were four-time state champions at Great Falls High before All-American careers at the University of Iowa.
They also achieved international success with Bill winning a world championship in 2006, and Mike competing at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Bill is currently the head coach of the USA Men’s National Freestyle team, and Mike has enjoyed successful stops as a collegiate and international coach. Together they host an annual camp for youth wrestlers in Great Falls, bringing in some of the top names in the sport. … rest of story at _{https://www.montanasports.com/high-school-sports/wrestling/montana-wrestling-icon-bob-zadick-passes-away?mc_cid=c33f4da146&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

December 20, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized